Fur skin



Feb. 4, 1930. w..o. SNELLING FUR SKIN Filed Sept. 28. 1925 Patented Feb.4; 1930 PATENT OFFICE WALTER o.- s NELLING, or ALLENzrowN, PENNSYLVANIAFun SKINv Application med september 2s, 1925. serial Nojsaors.

My invention relatesl to improvements skins or pelts of fur bearinganimals, and more particularly to the method of reinforc- 5 fur bearinganimals, normally too weak structurally to be satisfactorily employed inthe manufacture of articles ef the furriers art, whereby such skins canbe utilized advantageously in the manufacture of fur garmentsl and thelike.

It is well recognized that a number of animals bred in captivity, andsome wild animals as well, in particular the rabbit and the ordinaryhouse cat, have fur which is admirably adapted for fur garments and thelike. The fur of such animals, however, can not be successfully employedin the manufacture of fur garments because of the fact that their skinsare too weakstructurally to withstand the different operations asstretching, sewing, and thel like, incident to fur garment manufacture,without being irreparably damaged or renv dered utterly useless. Becausecf the weak- .ness of the skins of this class of fur bearing animals,the fur of such animals which is and would be otherwise-suitable forgarment manufacture, is practically of little or no com'- mercial valuefor such'purpose.

Accordingly7 onevof the objects of my invention is the production of furskins, normally too weak structurally to be employed in the furriersart, having a strengthened texture, and which are especially adapted foruse in garment manufacture.

Another objectvof my invention is the meth- 0d of reinforcing orstrengthening the texture of normally weak skins of fur bearing animalsbya-pplying a composite backing to the inner or flesh side of the skins.

A further object of my invention is the method of reinforcing thetexture of normally weak skins of fur bearing animals by applying acomposite backing comprising a reticulated fibrous material embedded,within an adhesive coating compositionto the inner or flesh side of theskins.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the moredetailed description of my invention set 'forth below, it being iunderstood that various changes may be made therein by those skilled inthe art without departing from the scope and spirit of my invention. ingor strengthening the texture of sklns of Basically, my invention relatesto a method of reinforcing or strengthening the skins of fur bearinganimals, which are normally too weak structurally to be adapted for furgarment manufacture, by applying a 'composite `backing comprising eithera single or a plurality of layers consisting of a fibrous reticulatedmaterial embedded within an adhesive coating composition to the inner oriesh side of theskins as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Fig. l is a plan view with parts broken away, showing the fleshside of the skin having a composite backing consisting of an openm'eshed 'fabric embedded within an adhesive l composition. y

Fig. 2 is a' detail sectional view of a portion 70 ofthe structure shownin Figure 1. i

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the structure shown inFigure 1 wherein the composite backing includes a plurality of layers ofopen meshed fabric embedded with- 7.5

in adhesive coating compositionsl Fig. 4 is a plan view, with partsbroken away, showing a modification wherein the composite backingincludes a plurality of layers of reticulated fibrous material embeddedwithin adhesive coating compositions. y In carrying out my invention Iapply to the iesh or inner face of a structurally weak fur bearing peltor skin ,4, a plastic adhesive coating body 5, Apreferably a pyroxylincomposi- 86 tion having as its basic ingredient cellulose nitrate, and I'then impregnateA an open' meshed fabric 6, as fiy netting or mosquitonetting with the same or an equivalent adhesive coating body. I thenplace the coated 90 iesh side of the fur upon the impregnated fabric,the fabric being preferably passed forward as a belt, and suitably cutportions of the skins being laid upon the belt so as to completely coverit. The fur skin v carrying the composite backing is then driedwhereupon the cohesive coating body having the open Ameshed fabricembedded therein unites the fabric with theflesh side of the skin andthus strengthens er reinforces 10 skins to a continuous web of openmeslied fabric I obtain a fur surface of any desired Width and length,the Web of fabric serving ,the

double purpose of structurally reinforcing the individual pieces ofskins and at the saine time holding together' the different pieces offur as in one continuous piece. It is to be noted that the flesh side ofthe skins to Which my composite backing is to be applied shouldbeproperly tanned. Furthermore, While I prefer a pyroxylin'coatingcomposition having as its basic constituent a cellulose nitrate I mayalso use othercellulosic adhesive compositions as cellulose acetate,viscose, and the vlike as the medium in applying the composite backingto the fur skins.

Some skins of fur bearing animals, although carrying a reinforcingmedium4 or composite backing on the inner or fiesh surface consistingofa coating or layer having an open meslied fabric embedded 'Within anadhesive coating body, do not possess the j requisite strength, I havefound that the required additional strength can be imparted to suchskins by applying a second `fayer or coating consisting of a soft' openmeslied fabric of a finer mesh than that4 of fly netting, as for examplecheese-cloth, embedded Within an adhesive body, to the first layer ofreinforcing medium/or backing. This is -preferably done by first soakingthe cheesecloth in the adhesive composition, and then applying thesoaked cheese-cloth to the fly netting coating by pressing thecheese-cloth against the fly netting coating until proper adhesion issecured. If a stillgreater reinforcement is desired Ipaint the backingmediumv with pyro'xylin lacquer, which due to the open mesh of boththecheese-cloth and the f'ly netting readily penetrates to the skinsurface of the fur bearing pelt, thus producing a compositereinforcement after the solvent in the lacquer has been evaporated ordissipated.

lIna modified form of my invention, I coat the flesh side of a properlytanned skin4 with an adhesive coating body 5, as a pyroxylin adhesivecomposition orother like composition,.and While the coating is still ina wet cond1tion,`I dust fibers of cotton or other material 7 on thefreshly treated flesh surface. The fibers are dusted over the Wetsurface, either in an irregular manner so that the individual fibershave no distinct orientation,

4 or the fibers are dusted from a moving carrier in such manner that thegreater portion of the fibers lie more or less in a single direction.After the reinforcing medium has been' dried, other coatings of the,adhesive or coating material alone, or of thecoa'ting material andfibrous material may be applied, and Where a plurality of coats offibers are applied, the coatings may be oriented differently" ifdesired, the fibers forming one coat being at .bedded ivithin anadhesive, and so on, every other coating or layer carrying an openineshed fabric. In some cases the reinforcing medium or compositebacking may consist .of only tivo layers, the one layer having thereticulated fibrous material embedded therein andthe other havingthe-open ineshed fabric embedded therein.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The method of increasing thestrength of fur skins which comprises applying a coating composition tothe flesh side of such skins through the openings of an open-ineshfabric in contact lWith such. skins.

2. The-method of increasing the strength of fur skins whichcomprises'applying an open-mesh reinforcing fabric to the flesh side ofsuch skins, coating the skin Withl a liquid coating composition throughthe open meshes of the reinforcing fabric. and thereafter causing thesolidification of the coating composition.

3. A fur skin reinforced on its flesh side by a composite backingcomprising acoating composition and an open-mesh fabric the individualthreads of which are Wholly em-`

